CAPE TOWN, Wednesday 2 September 2026 — The ANC has removed former Cabinet minister Malusi Gigaba as co-chairperson of Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence and replaced him with ANC MP Mzimasi Hala, prompting questions from opposition MPs over the unexplained leadership change.
Hala was elected on Wednesday after committee co-chairperson Phiroane Phala informed members that Gigaba had been relieved of his responsibilities.
The ANC did not provide the committee with a public reason for removing Gigaba.
The change comes while Gigaba faces criminal charges arising from an allegedly corrupt Transnet locomotive procurement process.
His removal is therefore politically significant, although no evidence presented at Wednesday’s committee meeting established that the criminal case was the reason for the ANC’s decision.
The EFF had previously called for Gigaba to relinquish the committee leadership position because of the charges against him.
DA MP Emma Powell questioned the procedure followed in creating the vacancy, asking whether the committee had received a formal resignation from Gigaba and whether Parliament had formally announced the vacancy.
ANC MP Windy Plaatjies rejected demands for an explanation, describing Gigaba’s removal as a party matter.
Gigaba remains an ANC member of the National Assembly.
Parliament’s own membership records continue to list him as an ANC MP, while Hala is an ANC MP representing the Eastern Cape.
Before Wednesday’s change, Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence webpage still listed Gigaba and Phala as its two chairpersons, with Hala serving as an ordinary member.
The committee is responsible for parliamentary oversight of the South African National Defence Force and defence-related matters.
Gigaba has held several senior positions in government, including as minister of public enterprises, home affairs and finance.
His latest criminal proceedings relate to allegations involving Transnet procurement during his tenure as public enterprises minister.
Gigaba has indicated that he will cooperate with law-enforcement authorities and the charges against him have not been proven in court.
Wednesday’s committee change does not remove him from Parliament and does not constitute a finding against him in the criminal case.
The ANC has also not publicly indicated whether the decision forms part of a broader reassignment of parliamentary committee leadership.
Hala now assumes the National Assembly co-chairpersonship alongside Phala, who represents the National Council of Provinces.
Attention will turn to whether the ANC provides a formal explanation for Gigaba’s removal and whether Parliament updates the committee’s official composition following Hala’s election.
